Test Driving the Forbidden City bar at A. Wong - another way to try the chef's two-Michelin-starred food

The Forbidden City bar - downstairs at A Wong

So this is a different side of A. Wong?

Just in case you need a quick catch-up, A. Wong (named after its chef, Andrew Wong) is one of London's best restaurants. It's one of the city's few two-Michelin-starred establishments, serving some of the best Chinese food in town. Given its prestige, it's not the easiest restaurant to book a table (particularly at weekends), and there's also the £220 investment you'll need for the tasting menu. 

The Forbidden City bar, however, offers another way to try the food at A. Wong. Downstairs from the main restaurant, this bar has its own à la carte menu and it's the ideal way to try some of Andrew Wong's food without the commitment of a tasting menu. You can see it as an intro, if you will, before graduating to the main menu experience. It's a similar approach to Whiskey and Seaweed at Clare Smyth's Core. You get to try the food, including some versions of signature dishes, and it shows you what the kitchen is capable of. 

Where is it?

A. Wong itself is less than a five-minute walk from Victoria Station, and you'll find the entrance to the bar towards the back of the restaurant. Head down the stairs that's covered in blossom and you'll emerge into the main bar. The space was previously used only for people dining at the restaurant (who can still come down for a drink here too), but more recently they've opened it up as a separate drinking and dining experience. 

Towards the back of the restaurant, you'll find the way down to the bar.

Where should we sit?

We'd say that depends on how much of the menu you're looking to work your way through. If it's just a couple of dishes, then the bar itself is a good bet. If you're looking to work your way through a good selection of the food on offer, get a table - you'll need the space. 

So, what kind of experience can we expect down here?

The focus here is on their signature cocktails, which are mainly twists on classics,  and a menu that's a mix of snacks, small plates and larger dishes. On the food side, it takes inspiration from "old Hong Kong" along with some of Wong's favourite dishes from his childhood. So you will see his version of some very well-known classics like special fried rice (which is a must-have).

If you'd prefer someone to do the choosing for you, there's also "One Night in Hong Kong", a set menu which takes in a selection of snacks and a cocktail for a very reasonable £55.

We went through a significant portion of the menu when we visited, and here are some of the highlights. 

Crispy wonton "prawn cocktail" (£15) - how pretty are these?

"Soy chicken" with ginger oil and Oscietra caviar wrap (£16)

Pulled noodle cracker with wagyu beef and pomelo salad (£14) - such a delicate construction, this is a one-bite affair.

Scalded oysters with "fish fragrant" aubergine sauce (£9) - They use Carlingford oysters and this sauce is a perfect foil for them.  - One of our favourite dishes of the night. 

Cantonese wonton noodle soup (£15) - a fabulous warming soup, perfect for a cold January evening. 

Steamed dim sum basket (£22) - of course dim sum is at the heart of A. Wong and this taster basket is a perfect introduction with clear shrimp dumplings with a rice vinegar 'cloud' and pork and brawn dumplings with pork crackling.

Those all fall into the more snacks and small plates side of things, but there are some larger offerings down here too. There's a Shanxi City lamb burger (£18) and Cantonese honey-roasted pork with sausage and grated foie gras (£28). However, we'd specifically point you to the following, which we'd say are really unmissable:

Sweet and sour ribs with toasted sesame and pork floss (£24) - it's hard to write about these without resorting to "falling off the bone" superlatives, but these are absolutely wonderful ribs. 

A Wong special fried rice (£20) - quite a few of the dishes are snack-sized. This is the opposite (with the spoon left in to give an indication of size). Almost taking up the whole table, this enormous bowl of special fried rice is unveiled at your table. Best bit - scraping up the crispy bits where the rice has been baked into the bottom - just phenomenally good.

Room for dessert?

At this point we were seriously hitting the wafer-thin chocolate moment, but we were persuaded to try this dessert which was the perfect end to a great meal.

Coconut ice cream with caviar, olive oil and pat chun vinegar (£15) - that vinegar comes in a glass bottle with a dropper so you can add more.

And what about drinks?

The main event down here are the cocktails - a short list that of drinks that focus on some of the ingredients that are used throughout the restaurant. That's particularly recognisable in their Peking Duck Old Fashioned - it turns out that whisky infused with traditional Peking duck fat is a great thing. 

Fuijan (Coachbuilt whisky, sparking jasmine tea, orange bitters) and Heinan (Baiju, Chanbord, elderflower, orange bitters, mint)

A Wong Negroni (Signature gin infusion, Campari, Antica formula, star anise, Sichuan pepper, cinnamon) and Peking Duck Old Fashioned (Johnny Walker whisky infused with traditional Peking duck fat, roasting spices, agave and angostura). 

Overall thoughts 

If you've always wanted to try Andrew Wong's food but either fancy something a little more casual or just a few dishes as opposed to a tasting menu, then this gorgeous bar should absolutely be on your radar. It's a lovely, welcoming space, the drinks are great and the food is outstanding.